


what dreams may come (both dark and deep)

by sunkelles



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Artemis's uncomfortable mixed feelings for her father, Dreams, F/F, Snaibsel, Snaibsel Week 2016, zatannamis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-02
Updated: 2016-11-02
Packaged: 2018-08-28 14:09:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8449168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunkelles/pseuds/sunkelles
Summary: Artemis wakes up in her childhood bedroom with a perfectly normal life.





	

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. written for day four of snaibsel week, dreams  
> 2\. the title is from the choral work "sleep" by eric whitacre. the text was written by alan silvestri, and if you love yourself you should definitely listen to this song. it's one of my favorite choral pieces ever

Artemis wakes up in her childhood bedroom, the picture of the Cheshire Cat still up on the wall. She can feel the teddy bear she remembers her dad chucking out the window in a fit of rage in her arms. She clutches it a little tighter, and the memory is replaced by her sister making the bear sing some awful Katy Perry song, and Artemis grins as she sets it down.   
  
She bounds through the door, and is greeted by the smell of coffee brewing. Her father sits at the kitchen table, eating cereal. She's momentarily surprised, almost frightened, until she remembers this is an every day occurrence. Artemis grabs herself a bowl and sits down beside him.   
  
"Running late?" Her dad asks. 

"My seven thirty got cancelled," she says, "so I'm free until nine thirty." Memories flood back to her of getting her undergrad at Stanford, and her decision to move back home to get her master's degree from Gotham University.   
  
"I'm jealous," he says.   
  
"You're the one who became a gym teacher," she says, "you can't complain about mornings."   
  
"I can and I will, baby girl," he says. He picks up the bowl of cereal, and pours the milk directly into his mouth. A little gets out and runs down the corner of his mouth, and he tries to lick it off. He misses a little, and it dribbles down onto his shirt.   
  
"Ew," she says, "that's gross." He smiles widely as he he kisses her on the forehead, leaving a gross sticky spot. She elbows him firmly in the gut, and he grunts as she walks over to the sink. She wets a washcloth, and wipes the residue off her head.   
  
"Have a good day at school," he says, in that gruff but caring voice of his.   
  
"You too, dad," Artemis says. Her voice gets caught in her throat, and she doesn't understand why. 

  
  
Her mom wakes up around eight, and sighs in relief when she sees her coffee pot is already filled to the brim.   
  
"Artemis," she says, "you are my _favorite_ daughter." Artemis could mention that her dad did that, but she doesn't. That's what he gets for making her forehead sticky this morning. Her mother reaches into the cabinet and grabs a bright green "#1 Dad" mug.   
  
"Don't tell Jade that," Artemis says. Her mother laughs as she pours her coffee.  
  
"Are Jade and Roy bringing Lian over for dinner tonight?" she asks her.   
  
"Yes, Artemis," her mother says, "just like every other Wednesday." She takes a gulp of pure, black coffee. Artemis has never understood how her mother drinks it that way. She can barely stand the stuff when she pours half a gallon of milk and a cup of sugar in it.   
  
"Just making sure," she says, "I want to see my favorite niece." Artemis can see Lian clearly in her mind, smiling eyes and black hair. She can see her clutching a bow a girl her size should be nowhere near as well.   
  
"Your only niece," her mom clarifies.   
  
"Same thing," Artemis says. Her mother walks forward, and wraps her up in a hug. Artemis feels tears in her eyes, but she doesn't know why.  
  
"I've got to go, Artemis," her mother says, "make sure to lock the house before you leave for class." Then, her mother rushes out the door. Artemis sits back down at the table, and checks her school email. Nothing has changed, but she wanted to make sure that she checked before she goes to campus.   
  
Artemis grabs her bag on the way out the door, and hops on the bus to GU. She starts walking down the aisle when she hears someone shouting. They almost sound desperate.   
  
She looks around, trying to find the source. Then, someone grabs her by the arm and pulls her into the empty seat beside her.   
  
"What the hell?" Artemis asks. She locks eyes with a bright blue-eyed girl.   
  
"Who are you?" She asks. She hopes it sounds flirty. The girl is absolutely gorgeous. Artemis had no idea what's going on, but if she can make a good impression on this hot girl then it might make it better.  
  
"Artemis," the girl says, looking deadly serious, "you have to snap out of this."   
  
"How do you know my name?" Artemis demands.   
  
"You know me, Artemis," she says, like that explains anything.   
  
"No," Artemis says, "I don't." Artemis breaks free of her hold, and stands up and finds another seat. The girl follows her.   
  
"What are you doing?" Artemis demands.   
  
"Please," she says, "it's me, Zatanna. I just have to talk to you."   
  
"Look," Artemis says, "I've never met you. You must think I'm someone else or something." Artemis is almost never mistaken for someone else, but it seems more likely than the idea that she  _knows_ this girl.   
  
"Oh god," Zatanna says, "this is worse than I thought. What do you remember?"   
  
"Look," Artemis says, "I don't know you, and I'm running late for a class."   
  
"None of this is real, Artemis," she says, "you're stuck in a fantasy."   
  
"Trust me," Artemis says, "if this were a fantasy I wouldn't be putting myself through grad school. I'd be Bruce Wayne's kid or something." Bruce Wayne's kids don't have to worry about paying for college.   
  
"You're not a grad student," Zatanna says, "you're a superhero."   
  
"Yeah, sure," Artemis says, laughing, "and my dad's the Joker."  
  
"You're not far off," Zatanna says.   
  
"What?" Artemis asks.   
  
"Your dad's a super villain," Zatanna says, "your mom used to be one too, before she was paralyzed. And your sister's an assassin." Artemis sends her a look. She doesn't know if she should laugh at the absurdity or yell at this girl for the slander.   
  
"My mom's a translator, my sister's a diplomat and my dad's a gym teacher," she says. She wants to get this through the woman's thick skull.   
  
"Your dad is _Sportsmaster_ ," Zatanna says, like that proves anything.   
  
"We call him that as a joke," Artemis says.  The woman laughs, like that's the funniest thing in the world.   
  
"Who are you?" Artemis demands.   
  
"My name is Zatanna Zatara," she says, desperate, "you have to remember me."   
  
"That doesn't ring a bell," Artemis says, but it does. The name feels deathly familiar.   
  
"This world isn't real, Artemis," Zatanna says, "it's too perfect. It's a dream designed to make you want to sleep forever." While that sounds fucking crazy it also sounds kind of sounds reasonable, which is even crazier.  
  
The bus pulls over, and it's finally Artemis's stop.   
  
"Leave me alone," she says. And with that, Artemis gets off the bus and sprints to class. 

  
  
Class seems to fly by. She doesn't even have to focus on the content or really think about it at all. The classes pass in a blur, and soon she's back at home.   
  
She has dinner with her mother, father, Jade, Roy and Lian, and they all talk about nothing and how wonderful everything is. It doesn't feel right. Lian doesn't even fidget or scream. She stands up abruptly, and Jade sends her a funny look.   
  
"I just need some air," Artemis says, "I'll be back in a few."   
  
Artemis sits on the porch, and looks out at the stars. They're vibrant, bright and beautiful. She can see them through Gotham's extreme light pollution. She doesn't think she should be able to do that.   
  
Zatanna Zatara appears out of nowhere and sits down beside her. Artemis doesn't move. 

"How did you find me?" Artemis asks. 

"I know where you live," Zatanna says. Then she grimaces. 

"Oh god," she says, "that sounded creepy, didn't it?" Artemis laughs, and nods. It did sound creepy, but she feels like she knows this girl. Artemis feels like Zatanna should know where she lives.   
  
"It feels hollow, doesn't it?" Zatanna says. Artemis doesn't say anything, but it's because she agrees. She agrees, and she's not ready to deal with that yet.   
  
"It's real," Artemis says futilely, "it has to be." She loves her family so much, and she wants this to be their life, so normal and happy and mundane. She wants this for her family, for herself.   
  
"It's not, Mis," she says. She sighs, and lies down on the porch. She can see billions of sparkling stars.   
  
"I know," she says, "I just- I wanted it to be, you know?" Zatanna lies down beside her.   
  
"How did you realize it wasn't?" she asks.  
  
"Little things," Artemis says, "memories that don't quite match up, feelings that don't make sense." She finds herself fiddling with her ring finger absently, trying to twist a ring that isn't there.   
  
"There's supposed to be a wedding ring right there," the woman says with a sad, wistful smile.  
  
"Is it yours?" Artemis asks, cautiously hopeful. Zatanna nods happily.   
  
"So," Artemis says, "tell me about the real world."   
  
"You're a superhero, and you go by Tigress," she says, "your name is Artemis Zatara." She remembers it now, all of it. She remembers her mother, and how brave and strong she was during the divorce and all the years after. She remembers Jade tentatively rebuilding a relationship with them both, coming by with Lian in tow and sometimes her husband too. She remembers She remembers Bart calling her at two AM, asking for advice with his boyfriend or just if she can talk. She remembers she and Zatanna's first kiss, the day she proposed, and the wedding. 

She wants that life back, flawed and imperfect as it is. She wants it back, even though she'll loose her perfect life, and all connections to a father who wasn't a complete dick. She'd trade that in a heartbeat to get her real life back, to get her wife back.   
  
"I want to wake up now," Artemis says. Zatanna nods.   
  
"Ekat su emoh," she says. Zatanna holds out her hand, and Artemis takes it. 

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. i'm completely sure that artemis would want to take her spouse's last name because fuck her father's name.  
> 2\. based on the episode where kara is attacked by a black mercy in supergirl.


End file.
